The Fall of Anvil
by Matobar
Summary: The Penitus Oculatus has prepared a thorough report on the events which led to the fall of Anvil during the Great War with the Aldmeri Dominion. Note: the documents within are intended for the eyes of ranking intelligence officials only. Viewing said documents without proper authentication is punishable by immediate incarceration without trial, pending a full interrogation.


**Hello everyone! My name is Matte, and I thoroughly enjoy TES. I've been wanting to write a simple world-building piece of fiction for awhile now, and this seems like the perfect time. So I humbly submit this, for your review. I encourage all comments and critiques, so that I can do better the next time! And I do intend to do this again, especially if you all like it.**

 _-The following is a brief overview of the events surrounding the fall of the city of Anvil during the Great War, circa 4E 172. It was prepared for the eyes of Penitus Oculatus Interrogator Geoff, per his request._

As a part of Lord Naarfin's initial campaign through southern Cyrodiil, a sizeable force of his troops (roughly 400 Thalmor, composed mostly of Justicar spellswords, supplemented by a contingent of Khajiiti sappers) were dispatched to the left flank of the main battle-group as a sort of "western-wing", with the intent of intercepting any attempted counter-attacks from Colovia. As the Thalmor found out, however, their surprise invasion was more successful than they realized, and no such tactic was attempted by the Legion or its allies. As such, the western-wing's objective was changed from purely defense and reconnaissance to conquest. The wing's commander, one Vicar Izlandi, was instructed by Lord Naarfin to secure a route for reinforcements to be brought from Valenwood. The Vicar set her sights on the Colovian port of Anvil, most likely intending to utilize its deep harbor and proximity to both Summerset and Valenwood as a reliable pathway for more troops and supplies to be moved into Cyrodiil proper.

The western-wing forged north from the Gold Road, fighting a minor skirmish with outriders from Skingrad that seemed to dissuade Izlandi from straying too close to city. (Details of the skirmish are available via the Skingrad Guard Captain's logs, complete with casualty numbers and a useful estimate of the strength of Izlandi's force). Instead, she moved her troops east through the Reserve, leaving a trail of burnt forests and pillaged farmland in her wake. Upon entering County Kvatch, she sent a small probing force (the size of which actually varies from about 50 troops to well over 200, depending on the source quoted) towards the city itself. They merely remained within sight of the fortifications for several hours, then departed northwest, linking back up with the Vicar. (The City Guard of Kvatch reported no further contact with Izlandi's troops, and only entered the wider war much later on, providing support action for Emperor Titus II's assault on the White-Gold Tower).

After successfully making it fully east of Kvatch proper without incident, Izlandi marched south. After recrossing the Gold Road and entering County Anvil, she met a force of Bosmeri light infantry (roughly 200, all told, if our sources from within Valenwood can still be trusted), which had forded the Sirid river to support Lord Naarfin's bid on Kvatch and Skingrad (both of which held out through the duration of the conflict). Izlandi absorbed the entire contingent and pushed west at a breakneck pace. It can be assumed that a lack of resistance thus far, despite her daring push through northern Cyrodiil (coming dangerously close to Skyrim), had Izlandi worried, and thus it was most likely her intention to smash into Anvil and take the city as quickly as possible, before the inevitable Imperial reinforcements caught up with her.

The Vicar's force (now numbering a little under 700 mer) came within sight of Anvil on the 4th of Rain's Hand, 4E 172. City Guards, who by now had been alerted to the threat of a sizeable enemy force in the area, had dispatched outriders. They had been tracking Vicar Izlandi's movements as her troops marched boldly down the Gold Road over the course of several days, and by the time the Thalmor reached the city it was already well prepared for a siege. Despite being outnumbered nearly 3 to 1, the Anvil Guard was in good spirits, determined to defend its home. And daring sea captains were willing to brave the hotly contested waters and carry goods to the people for coin and glory. (Naval engagements would last the duration of the Great War, as both sides attempted to secure the Abecean for use in supplying their forces. Accounts of specific battles pain a picture of a war of attrition, with both the Empire and Dominion sacrificing a great deal of maritime power with little results beyond stalemate).

Despite these obvious advantages (or perhaps, because of them) Izlandi elected for a swift and brutal assault on the city, committing her entire force, including her personal guard of Justicars, to the effort. Thalmor siege-breaking tactics do not need to be covered in detail in this report, but their brutal efficiency is common knowledge for modern tacticians. Even so, the Anvil Guard put up a stalwart defense, managing to hold the walls against Vicar Izlandi's assault through nearly two whole days of constant fighting. It should be noted that they received significant support from the local Synod chapter in the forms of intelligence (scrying) and combat support (defeating the Spellswords' attempts to destroy sections of the walls and break shield lines on numerous occassions).

After two days, and losing nearly a third of its number in the effort, the Dominion force fell back from Anvil's walls. Scouts report Izlandi pulled her force further north, back up the Gold Road, and constructed some light fortifications, with the apparent intent to think on her next move. The Guard, exhausted from the combat (and with half its members either dead or invalid) set about rebuilding Anvil's fortifications for the next assault, as well as repairing damage to the city proper. Small sections had been set ablaze over the course of the fighting, and the populace had been hard-pressed to quench the flames with a war at its back.

A month passed, then two. The Guard rebuilt what it could, and began training a citizen's militia (similar militias were instituted in Skingrad and Chorrol). Supplies trickled in every week or so, with various sea captains running the gauntlet of naval battles to gain the acclaim of the grateful citizens. Synod scriers reported that Izlandi deepened her camp's fortifications, apparently dissuaded of the notion that Imperial reinforcements would ever arrive to drive her from her position. It is assumed she was kept abreast of Lord Naarfin's progress in central Cyrodiil, as several messengers were seen entering and leaving the encampment. At any rate, the Vicar seemed intent to wait for another chance to attack the city. Unfortunately, she got her chance.

At this point in the report, it is necessary to elaborate somewhat on the del style="margin: 0px; color: #4f4f4f;"messy/del tenuous political status Anvil was experiencing at the time of the Great War. At various points throughout the Fourth Era, Anvil has either been at odds with the Imperial City, or standing with it, depending on the current Emperor in power. Titus Mede II enjoyed the fealty and tacit support of Markus Umbranox, first of his name. Markus' younger brother Corvus Umbranox II, gave lip service to this arrangement, but was much less scrupulous in private. At the onset of the Great War, he had apparently been urging Markus to make a full, immediate surrender to the Dominion as a show of goodwill, seeming convinced of their inevitable victory over the Empire. Oculatus operatives in place at Castle Anvil can confirm this, and had reported such to their Interrogator as necessary. However, due to the unstable nature of the Imperial City's relationship with Anvil, and in the face of more pressing concerns (read: an impending invasion), the matter was left alone. Of course, as we know, Markus did not surrender the city, and defended it staunchly in the Emperor's name. However, Corvus II was hard at work to undermine this.

One of the ship captains, one Tars Findley, had somehow finagled his way into privateer status with both the Dominion and the Empire. (I have seen and verified the documents confirming his status as such with the East Empire Company, and several trusted witnesses in Anvil have attested to seeing similar Dominion documents being brandished during particularly drunken rants late at night). How he did this, we do not know. Either he was simply smart enough to profit greatly by playing both sides of the conflict, or (perhaps more troubling) he was being employed as a Dominion spy. At any rate, Corvus II was aware of Findley's unique political status, and had used him to ferry messages to a "contact" he had in the Dominion hierarchy. The identity of this contact is unknown. However, based on the exchanges we recovered between Corvus II and this individual, they seem (or claim) to be a high-ranking member of the Dominion's bureaucracy. The contents of the exchange have been included in a separate report, but the final message Corvus II received instructed him to open Anvil's gates and command the Guard to stand down (due to the fact that this message was dated well into the siege, it is likely a response to one sent by Corvus explaining the current situation the city found itself in). If this was done, the younger Umbranox was promised asylum and immunity within the Dominion, and Countship of Anvil once the war was over.

Corvus Umbranox II betrayed his city, and his people, on the 17th of Mid Year, in the 172nd year of the Fourth Era. On that day, he marched down the middle of the Chaplegate district, surrounded by his personal guard in full battle regalia. Upon reaching the gatehouse, he ordered the Watch Captain to open the gates. When the order was refused (because of course it was), Corvus II ordered his guards to behead the man for treason. While everyone else (the spectacle had drawn a sizeable audience) was stunned at the audacity of the order, one of the Corvus' guards carried it out. Fighting erupted immediately afterwards at the gatehouse, as Corvus II's personal guards held off the entire Chapelgate garrison and elements of the citizens' militia while the Count's brother worked to open the gates himself. Somehow, he managed it, and then poured a vial of acid on the mechanism to keep it jammed in that position. He then made a break for the now-open fortifications, giving no regard to the last of his personal guard who were dying to give him a chance to escape (an admirable display of loyalty for a man who did not deserve even a shred of it. Eyewitness reports explain that immediate attempts were made to repair the gate mechanisms, but given the speed with which the Dominion responded to this opening, it is understandable that nothing could have been done)

Vicar Izlandi's forward scouts, whose positions were known thanks to Synod scrying, certainly had clear views of Anvil's gates swinging open. They apparently wasted no time in notifying their commander, as Dominion action was almost immediate. Izlandi had already proven her derring-do, and this time was no different. Her entire force was battle-ready marching south within the hour. Before too long, they came upon the fleeing Corvus II. It is unknown exactly what happened next, but witnesses from the wall report that the Count's brother was red in the face and waving his arms madly when he came upon the Thalmor line. Vicar Izlandi came to the front and had a few words with him, and then promptly gutted him with her sabre and ordered the army to continue marching. (It is my personal opinion that this "contact" Corvus II had with the Dominion had no intention of honoring his arrangement with the man. In fact, it is very likely that Izlandi had no idea who Corvus II was, and simply found him annoying enough to stab after a few moments' conversation).

What came next could only be described a battle in the most generous use of the term. Despite their tenacity and bravery, the defenders of Anvil were no match for the hardened warriors of the Aldmeri Dominion. Izlandi had no-doubt been preparing for this day for two months, pouring over stolen maps of the city, plotting her tactics in extreme detail (as the Thalmor are wont to do). Within half a day, the forces of Markus Umbranox were in full rout. The Count rallied what defenders he could at Castle Anvil, and tried to stage a breakout action in towards the docks to try and give as many citizens as possible a chance to escape by boat. Seeing this, Vicar Izlandi devised a simple method of counter-attacking.

All at once, every Dominion spellsword began to rain fire down onto the docks themselves. Within minutes, the entire warf was a raging inferno. Ships, houses, civilians and troops were all swallowed by the flames. While the Count struggled through the holocaust, crying out for any survivors to follow him, the Vicar simply marched her troops into the now-unguarded Castle Anvil and closed the gate behind her. Outside the castle, the city burned. Anvil had fallen.

 _-Thus ends the report of events that precipitated the fall of Anvil. As is well-known, with the port in hand, the Dominion was able to safely and easily ferry troops into Cyrodiil, which contributed significantly to the advances they made against the Legions, and the eventual capture of the Imperial City itself in 4E 174. Miraculously, Count Markus Umbranox survived the sacking of his city, managing to make it to a small sloop and sail out to sea with its crew and a few of his personal guards. They eventually made it to friendly shores in Hammerfell, where the Count remained for the duration of the war. After the city returned to the Empire after the signing of the White-Gold Concordant, it came about that much of the civilian populace had survived, being pressed into servitude to rebuild the city's harbor and service the ships that docked there. Efforts are still being made to track down Tars Findley, though for now we have reason to believe he is seeking refuge in Hammerfell. Corvus II's case should serve as an example of why it is important to keep a closer eye on the goings' on of the nobility in the Empire. While extreme, it illustrates perfectly why it is important to be united against the Thalmor, not fighting your fellow Imperial. With this thought and the preceding report in mind, I request to be reassigned to Skyrim. The rumblings of independence from Windhelm's Ulfric Stormcloak deserve much closer scrutiny.-Penitus Oculatus Operative Mikul Aurelius, 4E 200_


End file.
